Arrangement in table games

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an arrangement associated with such an operating rod as is made use of in table games in order to impart shifting and rotary movements to a man of like piece which is movable along a slot in the board of the table game and rotatable round a vertical shaft. In previously known operating rods of this type, the rod is connected, by means of an angle coupling in the form of a flexible shaft, to a pin arranged in conjunction with the man, and the end portion of the rod and the pin are mounted in a support member which is displaceable along and guided by the slot in the playing board. According to the invention, the operating rod, the pin rotatable by means of the rod and the support member for the rod and pin have been given such a shape as to permit pre-assembly of all details forming the complete operating mechanism, and the man, prior to their final mounting in the table game. This has been achieved by providing the operating rod with an annular guide at it&#39;&#39;s end cooperating with the support member and by providing the support member guide receiving the operating rod with a portion cooperating with the guide and preventing axial displacement of the rod, and by forming the guide in such a manner that the operating rod can be introduced into it from the side, i.e. by shifting the rod in a radial sense.

United States Patent [191 Hjelmquist Dec. 9, 1975 ARRANGEMENT IN TABLE GAMES [76] Inventor: Stig Gunnar Hielmquist, Box 6, 573

01 Tranas 1, Sweden [22] Filed: Aug. 27, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 501,111

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary ExaminerRichard J. Apley Assistant ExaminerI-Iarry G. Strappello [57] ABSTRACT The invention relates to an arrangement associated with such an operating rod as is made use of in table games in order to impart shifting and rotary movements to a man of like piece which is movable along a slot in the board of the table game and rotatable round a vertical shaft. In previously known operating rods of this type, the rod is connected, by means of an angle coupling in the form of a flexible shaft, to a pin arranged in conjunction with the man, and the end portion of the rod and the pin are mounted in a sup port member which is displaceable along and guided by the slot in the playing board. According to the invention, the operating rod, the: pin rotatable by means of the rod and the support member for the rod and pin have been given such a shape as -to permit preassembly of all details forming the complete operating mechanism, and the man, prior to their final mounting in the table game. This has been achieved by providing the operating rod with an annular guide at its end cooperating with the support member and by providing the support member guide receiving the operating rod with a portion cooperating with the guide and preventing axial displacement of the rod, and by forming the guide in such a manner that the operating rod can be introduced into it from the side, ie by shifting the rod in a radial sense.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 9, 1975 III" The present invention relates to an improvement in such table games as are intended to imitate hockey, football or like games, comprising a preferably foursided playing area consisting of a board on which a puck, ball or like object hereinafter sometimes referred to as a projectile is moved during the game by a number of playing figures or like pieces hereinafter sometimes referred to as men and arranged to be moved by the participants along slots in the playing board and rotated by means of movable and rotatable operating rods disposed underneath said board. Each operating rod is connected via an angle shaft coupling to a pin which is mounted in a support member, is at least substantially perpendicular to the playing board, extends through a pertaining slot in the playing board and has above said board a holder for receiving a man. The support member is provided with cross-pieces cooperating with the underside and the top side of the playing board for carrying and guiding said support member having for the end portion of the rod a substantially horisontal first guide taking up axial stresses, and a substantially vertical second guide for the pin holding the man, flexible shaft means connecting the end of the rod with the end of the pin being disposed between said first and second guides.

Previously known control means or operating rods for table games of the above-mentioned type have been made up of a relatively large number of components, which has been a drawback both for economical reasons and with regard to assembly operations. One component having given rise to particular difficulties is the cross-piece guiding the man-holding pin along the slot in the playing board and the transverse extension of which must exceed the width of the slot. A solution to this very problem is put forth in U.S. Patent No. 3,586,327. However, this solution implies an increase rather than a reduction in the number of components to be assembled.

The object of this invention is to provide an arrangement which, maintaining the reliability of operation, makes it possible to reduce the number of components and moreover is of such a nature as to permit being pre-assembled preferably in an automatic machine, so that the final mounting of the arrangement to the playing board will only require a simple manual operation.

According to the invention, the operating rod is provided, at the end connected to the support member, with at least one preferably annular guide means, that the first guide of said support member receiving the operating rod has a portion cooperating with said guide means and preventing the axial displacement of the rod in the guide, and that said first guide is of such a design as to permit the operating rod, which is to cooperate with said first guide, to be introduced into the guide from'the side, i.e. by shifting said rod in a radial sense.

An embodiment of the invention will be described in greater detail hereinbelow and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the various parts of the operating mechanism as viewed from the side and placed in successive order;

FIG. 2 illustrates the support member as viewed in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism in the pre-assembled state.

Counting from the right, FIG. 1 illustrates a turning knob 1, a bushing 2, an operating rod 3, a washer 4, a spring or flexible shaft 5, a support member 6 and a pin The operating rod 3 has adjacent one end protrusions 8 serving as abutments for the washer 4. One end of the spring 5 is intended to be passed onto the rod end portion 9 having first received the washer 4, said spring maintaining the washer 4 engaged with the abutments or protrusions 8.

The pin 7 has an end portion intended to serve as a holder for a man (not shown), which end portion may be a tongue-shaped member 10 compressed from the sides, as shown in the preferred embodiment, or a recess formed at the end of the pin.

Adjacent the man holder 10, the pin 7 has a flange 11, beyond which there is a portion 12 forming an axis of rotation. Beyond said shaft portion 12, aflaring collar 14 is formed by the provision of an obliquely cut neck 13, said collar being so elastic that it may be compressed to a diameter corresponding to that of said shaft portion 12. The end portion 15 of the pin 7 is so shaped that it can be pressed into the other end of the spring 5.

The support member 6 comprises a body, at either end of which guides or sleeve bearings 16 and 17 are disposed. The guide 16 being intended for the pin 7 has its inner diameter adjusted to the outer diameter of the shaft portion 12 of the pin. Said guide 16 is formed in a projection 18, having two cross-pieces l9 and 20 formed thereon. The lower cross-piece 19 is intended to bear with its top face against the lower faces of the edges defining the slots in the playing board, whereas the upper cross-piece 20 is intended to bear with its lower face against the top faces of said edges.

The guide 17 is positioned at an angle to the guide 16 and comprises, in consecutive order, a portion 21 formed as a bearing having its diameter adjusted to the operating rod, a radially extending recess 22 coaxial with said portion 21, the axial and radial extension of said recess being conformed to the thickness and the outer diameter of the washer 4, and a portion 23 intended to enclose, while allowing for some play, the end portion of the spring 5 passed onto the operating rod 3.

The guide 17 is slit throughout its length, as indicated by reference numeral 24, the arc-shaped surface of the bearing 21 for the operating rod extending through somewhat more than The surrounding material portion is bevelled on either side to form guide faces 25.

On a level with the recess 22 and the counterbore portion 23, the slot may be wider such that half of the circumference will remain of said recess and said portion, respectively.

In order to assemble the device, the bushing 2 and the knob l are passed onto one end portion of the operating rod, whereas onto the other end portion thereof are passed, first the washer 4, and then the spring 5 to maintain said washer 4 engaged with the protrusions 8.

As the pin 7 is introduced in and passed through the guide 16, the collar 14, which may be slit, is compressed, and when in a position beyond said guide it snaps out again. By reason of the obliquely cut neck 13 the collar will form an abutment counteracting the extraction of the pin. The spring 5 is finally pushed onto the projecting end portion of the pin, which completes the pre-assembly of the device.

To effect the final mounting of the device to the playing board, the end portion of the rod equipped with the knob 1 is passed through a hole previously made in the downwardly extending edge portion of the playing board, whereupon the bushing 2 is pressed into and snapped tight in said hole.

As the spring 5 linking the pin 7 to the rod 3 is bent upwardly towards the playing board, the guide 16 and the pin 7 are brought into a position at an angle to the rod. It should then be ensured that the support member 6 will occupy such a position that the cross-pieces 19 and 20 extend longitudinally of the slot in the playing board where the device is to be mounted. The upper cross-piece may then be passed through the slot. Once this operation is finished, the support member 6 is turned around the pin 7 so that the guide 17 is directed towards the rod 3 which is pressed in through the slot 24 formed in the guide 17. Since the material surrounding the guide portion 21 yields to the pressure of the rod and thereafter resumes its initial shape, the guide will firmly clutch the rod 3, preventing disengagement thereof.

When the mechanism is finally mounted, the support member is prevented from moving either upwardly or downwardly in the playing board slot, the pin is received in the guide 16 in an axially non-displaceable fashion due to the influence of the flange 11 and the collar 14, and the rod 3 is received in the support member guide 17 in a radially and axially non-displaceable fashion due to the elastic clutching of the rod in the portion 21 and the engagement of the washer 4 with the recess 22. i

It is obvious that details of the invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Thus, for instance, it is possible to modify the form of the guide 17 by providing the slot in a different way or by replacing the resilient material by a rigid material and another locking arrangement. It is also obvious that, for instance, the angles between the guidesmay be varied within a wide range.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A table game of the type intended to imitate hockey, football or like games, comprising a playing area including a board having elongated slots therein and on which a projectile is moved during the game by a number of men mounted for movement by the participants both along said slots and rotated by means of displaceable and rotatable operating assemblies disposed beneath said board, each said operating assembly comprising an elongated rod, an elongated operating pin extending upward through one of said slots and substantially perpendicular to said board for supporting one of said men above said board, an angle shaft coupling connecting the lower end of said pin to one end of said rod for simultaneous rotation therewith, a support member slidably mounted in one of said slots and supporting said pin, said angle shaft coupling, and said one end of said rod for movement therewith, said support member including fixed lower and upper cross pieces cooperating with the lower and upper surfaces, respectively, of said board for mounting said support member in said slots, at first generally vertical guide sleeve journaling said pin for rotation about its axis, and a second generally horizontal guide sleeve engaging and journaling said rod adjacent said one end, said angle coupling being disposed between said first and said second guide sleeves, said second guide sleeve having a slit opening in the side wall thereof extending throughout its length with said opening being of a transverse dimension less than the diameter of said rod adjacent said one end at least throughout a portion of the length of said opening, said second sleeve being formed at least in part from a resilient material whereby said rod may be forced laterally through said opening into said second sleeve, radially extending shoulder means axially fixed on said rod adjacent said one end, and radially extending recess means formed in said second guide sleeve for receiving said shoulder means and cooperating therewith to prevent substantial relative axial movement between said support member and said rod while permitting rotation therebetween.

2. The operating assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said radially extending shoulder means comprises at least one radially extending protrusion on said rod adjacent said one end, an annular washer telescopingly received on said rod and abutting said protrusion to limit axial movement of said washer on said rod from said one end, and wherein said angle shaft coupling comprises an elongated coil spring having one end pressed onto said pin beneath said first sleeve and having its other end pressed onto said one end of said rod and cooperating with said protrusions to axially fix said washer on said rod.

3. The operating assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said second sleeve is provided with an enlarged counter bore for receiving said one end of said rod, said counterbore being of sufficient diameter to receive with clearance the end of said coil spring mounted on said one end of said rod, and wherein said enlarged counterbore and said radially extending recess are coaxial with the portion of said sleeve journalling said rod, said opening in said second sleeve being enlarged in the area of said counterbore to permit said washer and said spring to be received laterally through said opening.

4. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said pin comprises an elongated rod-like member having a holder on one end thereof for the game men, a circumferential flange spaced from said holder, a cylindrical portion serving as a shaft and having a diameter adapted to fit within said first sleeve to journal said pin for rotation about its longitudinal axis, a collar portion adapted to yield in one axial direction toward the pin to permit movement of the pin through said second guide and to prevent removal of the pin through said guide and a lower end portion adapted to receive one end of said angle shaft coupling, said angle shaft coupling being in the form of an elongated coil spring.

5. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper cross piece comprises a pair of elongated aligned flanges on said second sleeve member and projectingoutwardly therefrom on opposed sides thereof, said flanges being dimensioned to pass freely through the slots in said board when said support member-is oriented with said second sleeve extending generally transverse to the associated slot and to project laterally over said board adjacent said slot when said support member is oriented with said second sleeve extending generaly parallel to said slot. 

1. A table game of the type intended to imitate hockey, football or like games, comprising a playing area including a board having elongated slots therein and on which a projectile is moved during the game by a number of men mounted for movement by the participants both along said slots and rotated by means of displaceable and rotatable operating assemblies disposed beneath said board, each said operating assembly comprising an elongated rod, an elongated operating pin extending upward through one of said slots and substantially perpendicular to said board for supporting one of said men above said board, an angle shaft coupling connecting the lower end of said pin to one end of said rod for simultaneous rotation therewith, a support member slidably mounted in one of said slots and supporting said pin, said angle shaft coupling, and said one end of said rod for movement therewith, said support member including fixed lower and upper cross pieces cooperating with the lower and upper surfaces, respectively, of said board for mounting said support member in said slots, a first generally vertical guide sleeve journaling said pin for rotation about its axis, and a second generally horizontal guide sleeve engaging and journaling said rod adjacent said one end, said angle coupling being disposed between said first and said second guiDe sleeves, said second guide sleeve having a slit opening in the side wall thereof extending throughout its length with said opening being of a transverse dimension less than the diameter of said rod adjacent said one end at least throughout a portion of the length of said opening, said second sleeve being formed at least in part from a resilient material whereby said rod may be forced laterally through said opening into said second sleeve, radially extending shoulder means axially fixed on said rod adjacent said one end, and radially extending recess means formed in said second guide sleeve for receiving said shoulder means and cooperating therewith to prevent substantial relative axial movement between said support member and said rod while permitting rotation therebetween.
 2. The operating assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said radially extending shoulder means comprises at least one radially extending protrusion on said rod adjacent said one end, an annular washer telescopingly received on said rod and abutting said protrusion to limit axial movement of said washer on said rod from said one end, and wherein said angle shaft coupling comprises an elongated coil spring having one end pressed onto said pin beneath said first sleeve and having its other end pressed onto said one end of said rod and cooperating with said protrusions to axially fix said washer on said rod.
 3. The operating assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said second sleeve is provided with an enlarged counter bore for receiving said one end of said rod, said counterbore being of sufficient diameter to receive with clearance the end of said coil spring mounted on said one end of said rod, and wherein said enlarged counterbore and said radially extending recess are coaxial with the portion of said sleeve journalling said rod, said opening in said second sleeve being enlarged in the area of said counterbore to permit said washer and said spring to be received laterally through said opening.
 4. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said pin comprises an elongated rod-like member having a holder on one end thereof for the game men, a circumferential flange spaced from said holder, a cylindrical portion serving as a shaft and having a diameter adapted to fit within said first sleeve to journal said pin for rotation about its longitudinal axis, a collar portion adapted to yield in one axial direction toward the pin to permit movement of the pin through said second guide and to prevent removal of the pin through said guide and a lower end portion adapted to receive one end of said angle shaft coupling, said angle shaft coupling being in the form of an elongated coil spring.
 5. The assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper cross piece comprises a pair of elongated aligned flanges on said second sleeve member and projecting outwardly therefrom on opposed sides thereof, said flanges being dimensioned to pass freely through the slots in said board when said support member is oriented with said second sleeve extending generally transverse to the associated slot and to project laterally over said board adjacent said slot when said support member is oriented with said second sleeve extending generaly parallel to said slot. 